Embodiments described herein relate generally to a rub rail assembly including a rub rail for protecting wall surfaces from impacts and abrasions, and more particularly, to a rub rail assembly including a support member for the rub rail.
In buses and other vehicles, the side wall surfaces are often protected from impacts and abrasions with rub rail assemblies, which often include a shock-absorbent rub rail. Often the rub rail assembly includes a rail support that is attached to the side wall surface, and a rubber or plastic rub rail that is attached to the rail support. In addition to side wall surfaces, rub rail assemblies are also used on vehicle doors and fenders. Rub rail assemblies are also used in applications other than vehicles, such as marine docks, boats, shelving, display cases, among other applications.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, rub rail assemblies 1 for buses and other vehicles 2 that are known today include a rub rail 3 that is fastened to the side wall surface 4 of the vehicle. Typically, multiple rub rails 3 are fastened to the side wall surface 4 in a parallel arrangement, with fasteners 5 spaced along the length of the rub rail assembly 1, for example about every 9-inches. The rub rail assembly 1 may also include a rail support 6 over which the rub rail is placed.
At the time of manufacture of the vehicle 2, the rub rails 3 are clamped onto the side wall surface 4, and the side wall surface is match drilled with fastener holes 7 in the rub rails. Then, the fasteners 5 are inserted through the rub rails 3 to attach the rub rail to the side wall surface 4. After fastening, the vehicle is masked a first time to paint the rub rails 3, and masked a second time to paint the vehicle. Thus, there a multiple steps in the manufacturing process of attaching the rub rail assemblies to the vehicle that may lead to additional cost and time.